USA Bests Japan in World Cup Final

      The stage was set:  the USA women's team had been undefeated going in to the final.  They hadn't been in the final since 1999.   Now, here they were in Vancouver, BC., Canada, a hop and a step from the Washington State/US border.  Could they do it?
      The question was answered within minutes of the opening kickoff.   What fans worldwide saw was unprecedented in World Cup : 4 goals in 16 minutes, all by the USA.  Carli Lloyd performed a hat trick-scoring 3 times in those first minutes.   Truly a memorable event.  The Japanese team was rocked to its core, but did not buckle.   In the 2nd half, they japanese team came out and played with renewed vigor, scoring 2 goals in a short time.  It appeared that the USA had a real game on.  But, the USA women scored again and then turned to stout defensive play that shut out the Japanese the rest of the way.  Final score: USA 5-Japan 2.    Two American players: Abby Wambach and team captain Christie Rampone are veterans of many national teams.   Christie Rampone is the oldest player at 40 years to play in a World Cup final.
     USA fans dominated the sold out stadium as expected.  Japanese fans had a small cohesive section which composed a representation of the Japanese national flag.  While they had a couple of high spots during the game, it was a long evening for all Japanese fans here and at home.  Few coud deny that Sunday was an All-American day?
    On a side note, viewers could not overlook some interesting advertisements flashing across the walls of the seating areas: in bold caps GAZPROM  lit up the stadium.  Hmmm. Did Sepp Blatter make a deal with mad Vlad Vova to cash in on the World Cup?  Everybody knows that Blatter is a bribe taker and Vova is a bribe payer.  All this will continue to unfold as US Attorney General Loretta Lynch pursues the corruption inside FIFA.  Look out Gazprom, here comes Loretta and the F.B. I.